Fondues and Don’ts for the Perfect Beer Cheese Sauce

thebeeroness.com

This holiday season we’ve partnered with some of our favorite bloggers who will be showing you new and inspirational ways to bring the holidays home.

The holidays are a great time to gather friends for a casual evening together to share stories and, of course, food and drink. We’ve partnered with Jackie Dodd, founder of the Beeroness, to get her tips for a Beer Cheese Fondue your guests will love.

A rich and decadent pot of creamy, melty cheese accompanied by dip-able pieces of bread, meat and vegetables is at the height of shareable indulgences to serve to guest. Fondue has a strong history of showing up at holiday gatherings, and for good reason. This fun and festive party offering is low maintenance, easy to assemble and excessively crowd pleasing. Follow these simple rules to make sure that your melty cheese party is a huge success.

Do break out the immersion blender if your sauce separates. Cheese sauce can be a tricky beast, it’s prone to separating or becoming chunky. No worries. Just blend it into submission and your sauce will be perfectly velvety.

Don’t forget the cornstarch. This is what will keep your sauce intact, it prevents the cheese, oils and beer from separating into a stringy mess. All while thickening it up to the perfect consistency for the fondue.

Do stir in a figure eight or a zig-zag pattern. Might sound a little silly, but it helps to keep your sauce blending well. If you stir in a circular pattern around the edges of the pot it will create a whirlpool that can suck cheese into the center of the pot and promote clumping before it’s melted and combined.

Don’t boil your sauce. Bring your beer cheese fondue to a simmer, and adjust the heat to keep it at a low simmer. A boil will encourage your sauce to break, burn and separate.

Do experiment with spices. Add hot sauce, gochujang, herbs or roasted garlic to give the sauce your own signature twist.

Beer Cheese Fondue Recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients for Sauce

12 ounces beer*

6 wt oz Gruyère cheese, shredded

8 wt oz Smoked gouda, shredded

2 tbs cornstarch

1 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Ingredients for Serving

1 cup mushrooms, quartered

1 cup broccoli florets

1 French baguette, cut into cubes

½ lbs flank steak, cooked and sliced

1 Granny smith apple, sliced

Directions

Add the beer to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer, do not boil.

In a medium-sized bowl, toss together both types of cheese and the cornstarch.

A small handful at a time add the cheese to the beer, stirring until the cheese is melted before adding more.

Once all the cheese has been melted, stir in the Dijon, Worcestershire, salt and pepper until well combined. Add the sauce to a warm fondue pot.

Serve with bread, vegetables and meat.

Note: Use a lighter-colored beer for best results. For a stronger beer flavor, use a hoppier beer like an IPA or an American pale ale. For a milder beer flavor, use a wheat beer, pale lager, kolsch or pilsner.

Want more ideas for entertaining friends during the holidays? Check out 100 Layer Cake’s Friendsgiving ideas!